NFL MEETINGS Horse-collar tackling now corralled; Vikes sale on hold

The 2009 Super Bowl site should be announced soon.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- NFL owners eliminated the horse-collar tackle Tuesday, then maintained the suspense for at least one more day regarding the sale of the Minnesota Vikings and the selection of a site for the 2009 Super Bowl.
Beyond those formalities, the first day of a two-day owners' meeting put on full display stark differences among the teams over revenue sharing, which need to be resolved before a new collective bargaining agreement is reached with the players' union.
Somewhat related was New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson's confirmation that he has been offered more than $1 billion for his team, an offer he didn't accept but used to illustrate the financial problems that might prompt him to move the franchise elsewhere -- perhaps to Los Angeles.
"What would it take to keep it in New Orleans?" Benson said. "We need to work out a reasonable situation."
Banned
The owners' only definitive action was the 27-5 vote to ban the horse-collar tackle, in which a defender grabs the back inside of an opponent's shoulder pads and yanks the player down.
The proposed $600 million sale of the Vikings to New Jersey real estate developer Zygmunt Wilf was discussed by the league's finance committee and could be approved by the owners today, although some details in the agreement between Wilf and current owner Red McCombs are holding up the process.
Also on the agenda today is the selection of a 2009 Super Bowl site. Atlanta, Houston, Miami, and Tampa, Fla., are the contenders, although Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams said he considered the vote to be a two-city race between Atlanta and Houston.
"It's going to be a close call," he said.
Potential relocation
Benson spoke at length with reporters about the Saints' problems. Benson's lawyer recently said that Benson is interested in moving the team to San Antonio, Albuquerque, N.M., or Los Angeles.
"New Orleans is not going to be Los Angeles. It's not going to be Houston," Benson said. "But 30 years ago, we built the Superdome. It was outstanding, the pride of the country. Today it's not.
"We've got a lot of problems there."